Shopaholic in Alabama

One year ago today, the United States was hit with what became the worst oil spill in our history. The Deepwater Horizon drilling rig off the coast of Louisiana exploded and eleven workers perished. Oil began to gush in the Gulf of Mexico - not to stop until it was capped on July 15 and officially sealed on September 19, 2010. Total estimates of oil spilled throughout the event vary between 94 to 184 million gallons . The oil began to arrive on the Alabama Gulf Coast just prior to Memorial Day weekend. I will never forget the first day I walked outside (we live across the street from the beach) and thought "I can smell it". It was an awful feeling, to know not only was the "blob" here, but we'd have to smell it for an undetermined amount of time. The best way to explain the scent? Think freshly paved asphalt. You know - the stuff that is probably really bad for us. We could smell it for months. The images below were taken at our local beach over Memorial Da...

Hello Shopaholics! Did you think I had deserted you? Moved to the Far East or something? Nope....things have been way crazy around these parts. The past few weeks have been a blur. For starters, I've been busy trying to build Shopaholic's Preppy Closet on Facebook. Thank goodness my sister has been helping me or I'd be drowning! If you haven't yet, get yourself over to Facebook and "like" the page for me! (link HERE ).  My plan is for this to be the premier consignment site on Facebook. We are specializing in preppy and designer clothing, shoes and accessories. Think Lilly Pulitzer, Vineyard Vines, Trina Turk, there are even a few Burberry listings right now! Who knows where this will lead - it might even turn into a "real job" for me in the future. I'm getting a little bored not working anyway... Additionally, DH ended up with some unexpected time off (thanks, BP). We took a short trip and spent some time boating, fishing, hanging in the sun...

TGIF, Shopaholics! Hope your week has been wonderful - just a tad stressful around these parts, but looking for things to turn the corner very soon! :-) In exactly four weeks from tonight (that would be Friday, October 15 - to be exact!) - Bon Jovi is coming to the beach for a concert. One of my BFF's was lucky enough to score tickets while I was at the Bama-PSU game last Saturday; and I am thrilled to be going with her! I grew up listening to Bon Jovi - you know - the "old stuff". I rode around town with my girlfriends, in our sports cars, blaring "You Give Love A Bad Name" just as loud as it would go. Over the years, I have attended several of his concerts. I even managed to crack my tailbone at one of them in Mobile - many, many moons ago - while wearing ill-advised white cowboy boots. Don't judge - they were studded and paired with the shortest, tightest mini skirt I could wear out of the house. For the life of me, I can't remember the top I ha...

Happy Saturday everyone! The weekend is finally here - and I plan to spend today resting up for ..... drum roll please ..... the Jimmy Buffett concert on Sunday! I am thrilled to report I have tickets in hand, and will be watching Jimmy perform live from the beach here in Gulf Shores, AL. Several weeks ago, over a million people logged onto Ticketmaster in an attempt to score free tickets to the "Jimmy Buffett & Friends" concert, which was originally scheduled for July 1. The concert is Jimmy's gift back to this coast, where he grew up and lived a significant portion of his early years. His sister, Lucy Buffett, has a huge restaurant/bar "Lulu's" in Gulf Shores and he visits occasionally. The intent of the concert was to bring tourism back to the beach, which has suffered significantly in the wake of the oil spill. Enter Hurricane Alex, and the concert had to be rescheduled for July 11. When the tickets went on "sale" - they were gone in ...

Happy Monday, Shopaholics! I hope you all had a safe and happy 4th of July weekend! We've had company down at the beach, and have spent a lot of time at the pool, the beach, the BBQ grill - and eating. Oh my goodness, I'm going to need a detox later this week! Yesterday I spent the day at the beach with BFF Ashleigh and it was fantastic! There wasn't too much oil out there, which is supposed to change today, but we enjoyed it while we could. Of course we didn't get in the water...but I can live with that. I have really, really missed going to the beach with this oil spill business. As luck would have it, I managed to get a LOT of sun. Let's face it - that was my goal! Last night after showering my skin felt just a teeny tiny bit sunburned. Enter my "secret weapon" from Clinique - After Sun Rescue Balm with Aloe. I have used this stuff for years, and you can't beat it! It takes the heat out of my skin overnight, and helps to prevent (or minimize)...

Happy Thursday, my friends! Hope you're having a wonderful day and an easy week! So far, so good around here. Quite "boring" compared to last week, that's for sure! Many have asked me how I feel about BP, since I live in coastal Alabama, on the front lines of this oil spill disaster. I am truly experiencing this firsthand, for me this is REAL LIFE - not just an image you see on the news every evening. I smell the oil. I go over to the beach daily, sometimes twice a day, to see how it looks. I have to scrub small amounts of oil off my feet before I come inside again. Sure I try not to get in oil, but those pictures you see on Facebook that were taken at the water's edge? You have to get a little oil on you to have those shots. This is what I call "My New Reality". An oil forecast daily, a "smell test" daily, and changing emotions. When this catastrophe first happened, I was filled with nothing but anger. Angry that it happened. Angry that w...

Happy Saturday, my friends! The oil spill situation got a little bit worse here in Gulf Shores/Orange Beach, AL yesterday. The thick, nasty, chocolate pudding looking stuff has arrived.  I knew it was big trouble when we received the following email from the condo owners association: Special Edition - Bad News about the Oil Spill Friday, June 11, 2010 DAY 53 of the Oil Spill We are very disappointed to report that suddenly, today, the beach has become covered with dark oil. The oil looks like old motor oil and has the faint smell of oil. The consistency of the oil goes from a liquid to globs. We had hoped that we would only have globs of oil which would stay on the surface of the sand instead of liquid oil which penetrates the sand. There are no birds or other animals in the water or on the beach. The oil droplets seem to be mixed into the top layer of the Gulf water and the oil extends as a dark mass as far as you can see in all directions. No doubt th...

Hello my lovely friends! Hope you are doing great today, I haven't had the motivation to blog the past few days. Before you think I'm lazy (haha), let me tell you what's going on around these parts. 1) The DH was laid off on Monday morning. Even though I'm soooooo tempted to make his (and my!) ex-employer a believer in the power of Social Media and talk more about it here, I'll refrain from that activity. I have confidence he will find something else quickly, he's a super smart dude and has lots of great experience. This will ultimately work out for the best! 2) I'm missing the Lilly Pulitzer warehouse sale, which started this morning in King of Prussia, PA. This is a SUCH a fun, semi-annual sale. I love attending the sale! It's so awesome to be able to visit and socialize with all my friends across the country while we get bargains, have dinner and wine, and give our best Bret Michaels impression in our hotel room. You know how the males have ...

Happy Monday everyone! Today I thought it would be fun to show you everything that we considered "essential" for yesterday's beach fun. Yes there was oil at the beach, but we stayed far away from it all. We didn't get in the water at all, as a "swimming advisory" was posted. What are your beach essentials? Do you use any of the same goodies? Am I the only one who puts an 85 on her face and an 8 on her body? HAHA. That new Hawaiian Tropic "Dry Oil" is fantastic! Additionally, the "Maui Babe" can be hard to find, but it's so worth it! Be sure to use sunscreen underneath on sensitive areas, or use alone in areas that are already VERY tan. (I like to use this on my feet). The Shiseido powder has been discontinued (booooooo) but you should be able to find everything else at Walgreens or CVS. Happy Sunning! p.s. My nose is still burnt - what's up with that!?!? Even the 85 Neutrogena or the 45 with zinc oxide doesn't work! An...

We've known this day was coming. We've been expecting it for over 40 days. But nothing prepares you for the reality of it...all images from Gulf Shores, AL. Sad to say, this is just the beginning. We've been told, this will last all summer. Some are predicting it will take until December (!!!!) to stop the flow of oil, and get the coast cleaned up. How did I deal with it? I'll tell you what I did yesterday, I ordered this Lilly dress (yes, I remember I'm not supposed to be shopping but that resolution is out the window!) Drank two of these Several of these too Had two helpings of this And then...I did what you would expect. I took a very long nap! :-) Fingers crossed that we get good news soon. Surely we're due for something!?!? Have a great Saturday everyone - we're going to try to squeeze in yet another beach day. Weather and oil permitting of course! Like I told DH, it appears we have allllllll summer to use the pool.

Oh no! It's only Friday. That's why DH is still here, he's on staycation. We can't go boating or fishing due to the oil spill, and tar balls started washing up on the beaches in our county yesterday. Just to keep things fun (not), it's been thunderstorming off and on again for days, which has put a major damper on most of beach and pool going. What do you suggest to keep a 40 year old man entertained until Monday? I love him, of course, but this is a wee bit too much "togetherness". Thursday I went to Publix just to get OUT of the house. Any and all suggestions (keep them PG-rated, please, LOL) would be greatly appreciated! TGIF Shopaholics! One day closer to Monday...

Happy Wednesday, Shopaholics! Hope everyone had a nice holiday weekend and is now fully recovered. :-) As you all know, we went to my parent's home on Dauphin Island, AL. The hubby is on vacation this week and we'd planned fishing trips for Monday and Tuesday - then planned to spend the rest of the week on our lovely beach here in Gulf Shores, AL. What is it they say about "the best laid plans"? Yeah that didn't work out so well...the oil spill had other ideas. We did make a quick fishing trip on Monday. Me, DH, Dad, BIL and my 5 year old nephew Jake went redfishing. This was just a short run for us and normally when fishing for this type, we don't keep any redfish we catch. (DH and I are big into conservation - our rule is don't keep what you won't eat or weigh in a tournament). The fishing trip was my nephew's first trip "out" that far. I'm pleased to report that Jake and I both caught redfish. While out fishing, we heard fr...

Happy Memorial Day Monday! We are enjoying time with family and friends during the holiday, and remembering why we celebrate the day! What are you doing to celebrate? We are supposed to go fishing today and Tuesday (start of red snapper season), but..... Life as we know it is getting ready to change around here, as our "oil forecast" now has oil approximately 10 miles off the Alabama coast. The whole deal has put a huge damper on our spirits and our celebration, but we're going to enjoy the next few days and take them one at a time. Congratulations BP, you've managed to kill the Gulf of Mexico. We'll be lucky if it's not a dead zone for the next fifty years. I'm pretty disgusted by your behavior and "management" of the situation. Then to find out you are having food trucked into the coast from far far away, rather than dine in and provide much needed business to local restaurants. Seriously, where does your God-complex end? Not only is that...

Happy Tuesday, Shopaholics! Yesterday I took the day "off" from blogging, after a weekend packed with Mother's Day activities! Hope you're all having a great start to the week! Living on (or even NEAR) the coast, we spend plenty of time and effort preparing for potential tropical weather or hurricanes. During hurricane season, we watch the news and weather updates with great interest and a bit of nervousness. We watch the water temperature, as hot water is extremely favorable for development of tropical weather. As nerve wracking as all this sounds, it's just a part of life on the coast. The other 350 or so days of the year, life is grand and immensely pleasant. Here's how it works - you watch a tropical system develop - generally around the Lesser Antilles, Bay of Campiche or south of Cuba. At that point, the system is about 5-7 days from the Northern Gulf Coast. And the good news, it's so early you have no idea where it will hit. You just "keep ...

Happy Tuesday, Shopaholics! Hope you're having a nice afternoon! BIG Congratulations to "Preppy from Bay" - the winner of our Caroline Grace Jewelry giveaway which I originally posted about HERE . Thank you to everyone who entered, and for reading my blog. A special thanks to Caroline Grace Jewelry for sponsoring such a generous giveaway! I'm certain our winner will be very, very excited to see this news! Preppy from Bay, please email me ( lori.driver@hotmail.com ) so I can put you in touch with CGJ! Remember, if you'd like to view all of CGJ's pretty pieces, check the Etsy store HERE . Additionally, I would like to thank ALL of the vendors who were so kind and generous to sponsor Shopaholic Giveaway Days to celebrate Mother's Day! I hope you all found some new goodies that you like, and it helped you to find a very special Mother's Day gift! All of the vendors were so excited about the interest they received as a result of the giveaways! Thanks to...

Happy Monday, my Shopaholic friends! Just wanted to tell you all "hello" from the Alabama Gulf Coast. I'm too bummed to blog (a real post!) today. Going to try to participate in a coastal cleanup this afternoon (if I feel like it after yet another marathon dental appointment). We're now planning for the oil spill that is making it's way towards my beautiful beach. Every piece of trash that's already on the beach now will have to be treated as "hazardous waste" after the oil arrives - so it's best to get everything cleaned up that we can now. I'm sure you are already tired of me talking about this spill and it's impact, but please understand - it almost feels silly for me to get on this blog and talk about a new dress, etc. when this is going on around me. Make no mistake, there's not much I love more than a new dress (especially of the Lilly Pulitzer variety!) but my heart is heavy and I'm not going to lie to you guys, I'm e...